WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A California meatpacker accused of
animal cruelty is making the largest U.S. meat recall on record
-- 143 million lbs, the U.S. Agriculture Department said on
Sunday.

Most of the meat, raw and frozen beef products, probably
has already been consumed, said USDA officials at a briefing.
Some 37 million lbs were bought for school lunches and other
federal nutrition programs. USDA said there was only a minor
risk of illness from eating the beef.

Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Co voluntarily recalled all
of its beef produced since February 1, 2006. USDA said Hallmark
violated rules against the slaughter of "downer cattle" -- that
is, animals too ill to walk.

ADVERTISEMENT

"This is the largest beef recall in the history of the
United States, unfortunately," said Agriculture Undersecretary
Richard Raymond.

Based in Chino, California, Hallmark/Westland has been
closed since early February. Company officials were not
immediately available for comment.

The Humane Society of the United States showed videotapes
on January 30 showing workers at the plant using several
abusive techniques to make animals stand up and pass a
pre-slaughter inspection. These included ramming cattle with
forklift blades and using a hose to simulate the feeling of
drowning.

"A recall of this staggering scale proves that it's past
time for Congress and the USDA to strengthen our laws for the
sake of people and animals," said HSUS president Wayne Pacelle.

Raymond said the recall stemmed from slaughter of cattle
that could not stand at the time of slaughter, although they
passed inspection earlier. Packers are required to alert USDA
veterinarians in those cases so they can decide if the animal
can be slaughtered for food.

In most cases, beef from downer cattle is barred from the
food supply. The rule was adopted as a safeguard against "mad
cow" disease, a deadly, brain-wasting illness. People can
contract a version of the disease by eating tainted products.
USDA said there are many other safeguards against mad cow.

'LITTLE HEALTH RISK'

Until now, the largest U.S. meat recall was 35 million lbs
in 1999.

USDA said the Hallmark/Westland recall ranked as a minor
health risk because it involved a violation of inspection rules
rather than proof of contamination. Most of the meat products
recalled were beef, but a small amount was ground pork,
according to the department.

Announcement of the recall will help the search for beef
produced by Hallmark/Westland that may be held in freezer
plants.

Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Tom Harkin said in a
statement that USDA must toughen its inspection measures before
animals are slaughtered to prevent future occurrences.

"How much longer will we continue to test our luck with
weak enforcement of federal food safety regulations?" said
Harkin, an Iowa Democrat. "Federal regulations exist for a
reason - to protect public health. For Hallmark/Westland to
issue a recall that goes back two years indicates that
violations may have been long-term."

Four senior Democrats in Congress, including Assistant
Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin, told the General Accounting
Office on Thursday to investigate the safety of meat in the
school lunch program in light of the Hallmark/Westland case.